


212

by PineappleandBlueberries1967



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Future, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multi, Mystery, Not Canon Compliant - The Legend of Korra, Not Compliant with Avatar Comics, Past, Post-Episode: s03e18-21 Sozin's Comet, Redemtion, Romance, Time Travel, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, early redemtion, present, present and future, spirit journey, spirits are gremlins, spirits of the past, split up, zuko is a good nephew
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:41:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PineappleandBlueberries1967/pseuds/PineappleandBlueberries1967
Summary: Yesterday, Zuko snapped out of the sickness that claimed him shortly after rescuing the Avatar’s bison, and he’d never felt so happy, so free, so unburdened in all his years for searching for the avatar. To think, all he needed to do, was let him go. The next day, he woke up in a strange city he’d never seen, with people wearing colours from all four nations mixing as if they all belonged in one place together. And he’d awoken to a blind girl hitting him in the face with a rock, and the Avatar staring at him as if he was the most complex puzzle in the universe and had yet to be solved. Zuko had never wanted to just serve tea before more in his entire life. Maybe his uncle was onto something. It made sense, that just as he thought he was free of the Avatar, the spirits wanted to dangle him in front of like some kind of test.Somewhere half around the globe, a determined young son, with a proud father, a missing mother, and a vicious sister, woke up with an intense desire to find the Avatar. Zuko shivered. Sokka shivered too.The spirits laughed.
Relationships: Aang/Toph Beifong/Katara, Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 52





	212

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING, this is a part of the ATLA Idea Nation. If you don't know what that is, please read the 1st part of this series!
> 
> This takes place the day after Zuko comes to terms with setting Appa free. The spirits CANNOT give him a break
> 
> Speaking of, the spirits who set the whole plot off are as followed  
> Hòuhuǐ (Roughly translated as Regret) Spirit of the Past -He/Him  
> Lǎoshī (Roughly translated as Teacher) Spirit of the present -She/Her  
> Shú huí (Roughly translated as redemption) Spirit of the future -They/Them

“It just seems so certain, like their parts have already been written out into neat lines.” Shú huí said, as they stared at the woven strands flowing through the spirit world.

Hòuhuǐ sighs a tired sigh and pries the strings from their hands.

“That’s because it is. We cannot change their fates.” He repeats to them once more, letting the strings float through their sanctuary.

“Not this fate, anyway.” Lǎoshī added, and she pointedly looked at the strings, to where they intersected and tied together tightly in a knot that could not be undone.

“But what of another? A different time, perhaps. We could create our own.” Shú huí bargained, and their companions stared at them. They reached towards the strings and their hands began to glow brightly, like a layer of frost burned upon their skin and was injected into their veins. Once again, Hòuhuǐ pulled them away.

“Our purpose is to guard this time-line.” He reminded, and Shú huí laughs , their voice echoing throughout the vacuum of time.

“We all know that higher spirits than ourselves are watching them.” They countered, and none of them could argue against them.

“And what if they try to stop us?” Lǎoshī asked, and quickly remembered she was not supposed to be entertaining Shú huí’s thoughts. It was easier said than done.

“They would have done so long before I could even think of creating another world.” Shú huí replayed, aggravatingly continuing to be right.

Hòuhuǐ knew when a fight had been lost. Neither he nor Lǎoshī could fight against the spirit of progress, and by their continued existence, it was made clear the higher spirits approved. Perhaps they were not even the first spirits to stray from their mission.

“What would you have us do?” He asked instead, and though impossible, he felt the room become warmer under his submission to them.

“How long did Raava’s latest son sleep for?” They questioned, and they reached out for the strings. Hòuhuǐ did not try to stop them this time, simply watched them as they breathed in deeply, letting the pathways, the lines of fates, the destiny etch into their arms and flow through their veins.

“100 years.” He answered, though he didn’t need to now. Shú huí knew. They knew everything. They replicated the strings, unbound from each-other. They touched each string, and set some aside, while discarding the rest for now. The strings tied themselves into place at the same points under their command, until they paused at a certain point. Lǎoshī knew that point was where they currently were along the real strings of fate, and she knew that this was where they would change. Shú huí tied the strings in an identical way to the first sleep, only this time, it was for all five of the strings they’d left untouched.

“You’re taking them out of their time.” Lǎoshī realised, her eyes widening as her doubts returned.

“Not permanently.” Shú huí tied a similar knot later in the time-line, and Lǎoshī relaxed slightly. Though the future would always be her present, it wasn’t familiar to her in the same ways this time was. Finally, Shú huí took three of the strands ans wove them in-between each-other like a braid, and then moved the other strings further away before doing the same. Hòuhuǐ at least seemed amused by this as he watched them work. They stepped away from the lines and the rest of the strings finished their work, weaving and intersecting in varying patterns, until inevitably forming the unbreakable knot from the original time-line. It always would. The three spirits stood back, and watched the world do the rest.

He had granted the Avatar’s bison with kindness. The spirits, in all their mercy, had granted Zuko with pain. One that flushed through his very spirit and collided in his mind, while the heat inside his chest flickered and fought to stay alive. Days of sweating, agony, and half-remembered dreams, but it as worth it. Because on the day he’d finally broken his illness, he’d never felt better. His entire body and soul felt more free than ever before. His body felt lighter. His smile felt real. It was the kind of feeling that he wanted to grip onto forever, a feeling so familiar that it almost burned but still felt right to him. To feel accepted, to be loved. His uncle was proud of him, and for the first time in a long time, Zuko felt that he could be proud of himself too. It was a shame the spirits never rested.

When Zuko woke up the next day, everything changed. _Again._ He should really get out of the habit of changing his entire life before he decided to completely abandon the fire nation and instead decide to team up with the Avatar. He almost snorted at his own internal commentary. Like _that_ would ever happen. Instead of waking up to a comfortable bed he still wasn’t quite used to after three years at sea, he’d woken up an a bumpy stretch of dirt that was far too familiar for his liking. It was also much too early for him, the sun wasn’t even close to rising yet so he couldn’t even begin to understand why his body had betrayed him and- Ow. Oh, right. That. A pebble hit his forehead for the third time in the span of five minutes, and judging by how hard it hit, it was definitely intentional. He sat up and turned to the rock throwing culprit width a scowl, crossing his arms as a clear sign that _he was no impressed._ The rock throwing culprit turned out to be a young girl who couldn’t have been older than twelve. She didn’t seem to be _intimidated_ by his glare, and upon closer inspection he found that her eyes were completely white. She couldn’t even see his clearly annoyed glare. Another pebble flew from the ground and into her hand, and then with startling accuracy, hit Zuko in the exact same spot n his forehead, despite the fact that he’d moved position and _the girl was blind._

“Will you stop that?” He snapped, and he almost felt bad until the criminal- because assaulting a member of the royal family was _illegal-_ she smiled wider, which was not the usual response to Zuko yelling at someone.

“Twinkle-toes and I have been trying to get your attention all morning.” She gestured to her right, and his response to that died in his throat. Zuko must’ve been blind too, to not have seen the Avatar clearly standing next to the criminal. Though, he was in his literal blind-spot, perhaps purposefully. The Avatar _waved_ at him. Zuko shot up immediately.

Before he could do or say anything- and really, what was he going to do? Should he fight? There was some part of him that clearly wanted to, especially seeing his mission for three years standing in front of him, without the aid of that water-bender, though he did have an earth-bender with him, except she was _blind_ and he felt conflicted about fighting a blind kid, no matter how much of a criminal she was. Plus, after rescuing the Avatar’s bison, he’d expected to never hear from him again. He’d made his peace with that, he’d committed to being Li from the tea shop. Maybe he would’ve said something? Confessed it was him that rescued the sky bison? But would the Avatar even believe him? And even if he did, what did it matter? Luckily, the chance to either throw flames or sputter out half formed thoughts and words were interrupted by a young child running up to the group.

“Hey! I really like your costumes!” He greeted brightly. All three of them turned their attention to the child. Zuko wasn’t sure what he saw. The kid’s skin was pale, much like most of the children from the earthen kingdom, but his eyes were a very familiar shade of blue. His clothes were completely different than any he’d seen children wear, and though his jacket was ratty and brown, his shirt was _purple_ which must mean the child came from a royal family, but the way he talked was not the voice of royalty.

“Costumes?” The Avatar asked, as if he’d completely forgotten the prince of the fire nation, the guy who’d hunted him half-way across the world, wasn’t standing there.

“For Huìxīng shènglì!” The child explained, as if that made any-more sense. Comet victory? What did that even _mean?_

“Let me guess who you are!” He continued, as the group of three continued to be baffled by him. He turned and pointed to the Avatar with a wide smile.

“You must be going as a young Avatar Aang! It’s really convincing, especially the arrows!”

“Um.” The Avatar answered eloquently, and the boy had already moved on before he could form more words. Next, he turned to the criminal.

“You’re Toph! It’s cool that you have a group thing going on!” He said, and the criminal seemed much less shaken than the Avatar. She was an earth-bender, it was her job. Lastly the kid turned to Zuko. He was painfully reminded of the last time a child had looked at him like that, and he turned away so he couldn’t see the boy.

“And you’re Fire Lord Zuko! Your eye mark is awesome!” He gushed. Zuko froze, what had he said? He couldn’t have said what Zuko thought he did, right? That wasn’t possible because-

“Ozai is the Fire Lord.” The Avatar finished his thought for him. The kid looked at him strangely.

“Everyone knows that Fire Lord Ozai was defeated 100 years ago.” He stated, as if it was a matter of fact. Zuko suddenly found it very hard to breathe.

“So that’s what comet victory means.” The criminal snapped her fingers, as if piecing together the pieces of the puzzle. And _Why wasn’t she panicking? Had she not heard the part where the child had clearly stated the comet had passed by 100 years ago? That his father had been defeated 100 years ago? Maybe the boy was lying? But then how did he know who they were? Why had he called him Fire Lord? Had he- Had he taken over after his father? Was he destined to end up back on the throne after all? But if the Avatar had defeated my father, then why would he allow Zuko to sit on the throne? He was as much an enemy as his father… Right?_

He didn’t even realise the edge of his vision going fuzzy until the very last moment before he blacked out.

The three spirits watches as Agni’s chosen collapsed into the ground, as Raava’s son rushed out to catch him before he hit the ground and the first metal-bender walked towards the two of them after. Then they turned their attentions away, to observe a set of water-tribe siblings rise on a different island, far away from their friends and their time.

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, it's pretty obvious that it's cannon divergence, I just thought it'd be interesting if spirits created alternate timelines for themselves, it totally means that every coffee shop au was written by an ancient god


End file.
